Can I really be okay as just fuck friends with this man?
I don’t know the answer to that question. All I know is that Leo Montgomery is the best sex I’ve ever had. And I’m aching for every gorgeous, muscular, delicious piece of him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Leo
Whistling a melody under my breath, I fit the plank of wood firmly against the rib fence and use both hands to guide it flush through the blade of the table saw. I’ve got this song stuck in my head. From one of Brenton’s cartoons, I think.
Pretty catchy.
I grin down at the nice, clean cut of ply in my hand, absolutely reveling in the rather insignificant accomplishment. Oh yeh—I know how to work with my wood. That silly thought causes my smile to grow even wider.
As I’m reaching for the next wooden plank, Charlie approaches over my shoulder.
His voice rises above the whirr of the saw. “You’re pretty chipper this morning. You’re practically dancing over here.” He screws a grooved drill bit to the tip of the power drill in his hand.
I chortle quietly as the cloud of saw dust settles. “It’s a beautiful day,” I say, swinging my arm up toward the early morning sun.
His grin goes lopsided and mischievous. “You’ve been putting those condoms to use, haven’t you?” He slants his head to the side and observes me. “You didn’t tell me you met someone. Have you been hitting the bars without me?”
My shoulders immediately go tense as I imagine how Charlie would react if he found out about the filthy things I did to his sister last night. “Nah, man. You know me. I go from home to work to home and do it all over again the next day.” I watch him from behind the safety of my protective goggles.
“Well, in Copper Heights, once the honeys hear about you, they come hunting you down like a team of wildlife trackers. Some of the best pussy I’ve ever gotten in this town has literally come waltzing right up to my front door without me having to lift a finger.”
Really? If my memory serves me correctly, Cupcake Girl came in through the back door.
“Sounds like fun but that’s not what I’m looking for right now.”
He groans in irritation. “I get it. Your wife left you with a kid. But things could be worse.” He waves the drill around as he speaks.
“Charlie, I’m fine,” I assure him. “Everything is good.”
Ignoring my protests, he carries on. “Life isn’t over just because your marriage is.”
“I know that.”
“You need to get back in the saddle.”
“Don’t you worry about my saddle.”
“Get your dick wet. See how much happier you’ll be!”
I snort out a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
His expression turns grave. “I’m serious, Leo!”
What’s it going to take to convince this guy that I’m okay? He’s coming from a good place but he’s annoying as hell. “Back off of it, Charlie.”
“You need to get laid, dude.”
Frustrated, I drop the plank of wood and throw up my arms. “I’m getting laid just fine,” I roar. And I immediately want to kick myself for that slip of the tongue.
His movements still and his eyes narrow with suspicion. I can almost see him making computations and drawing conclusions in his brain. "You aren't fucking my little sister, are you?” He pauses for a beat and I hold my breath for what he’ll do next. My eyes are on that damn drill. “Because it would really suck if our friendship ended with me cutting off your balls with a hacksaw."
Glad that my eyes are hidden behind the protective goggles, I chuckle, trying to ignore the bolt of adrenaline that spikes up my legs to my poor, threatened scrotum. "Don't worry about my balls or my saddle. I'm focused on what's important and you should too."
"That wasn't a denial, Montgomery. But I'm gonna let it slide because I know you. You'll do the right thing." He waves the drill menacingly in my direction as he stomps off.
“Charlie, we’re cool,” I assure him despite my betrayal.
He grunts and spits on the ground. “Let’s hope we are.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Reese
I look down at the half-eaten Irish cream triple chocolate cupcake sitting in front of me and realize that this is the best fucking cupcake I’ve ever made. Hands down. I grin to myself.
Jesus, this smokin' hot sex is turning me into a badass.
Leo Montgomery is my lover. Just the thought of it makes my pussy do cartwheels.
I crawled out of his bed at 2:45 this morning after three orgasms. Yup–-three! He walked me across the lawn to my back door. He cupped my cheeks in his massive palms and he brought his lips down on mine and he kissed me. I stepped into my house feeling like I was hitching a ride on angels’ wings.
And—yes, yes—when I peeked into the mirror, I looked like something a cat had dragged out of the gutter, but who cares? I felt like a million bucks. I’m running on zero sleep but I’m flying high because who needs sleep after THREE MINDBLOWING ORGASMS?!
“So these are the options I'm looking at for bridesmaids dresses. What do you girls think?”
I push aside my empty wine glass and glance over Sophia's shoulder at the assortment of fruity, pouffy frocks on the computer screen. With the rose-colored glasses I'm wearing these days, every damn thing is beautiful. She could put me in a frog costume with wooden clogs and a pink rhinestone tiara and I'd be okay with that because I'm walking on sunshine.
Nova sets her sketchpad aside and inches closer. Her face goes sour as she stares at the screen. “No, just no. Try again, Princess.”
Disappointment radiates from Sophia's eyes. "You don't like any of the them?”
"I'm insulted that you would even imagine me wearing one of those atrocities." Nova swipes another cupcake from the tray.
Sophia cocks her head to the side and examines the dresses again. ”They are pretty ugly, aren’t they?” She giggles daintily into her fist.
"I wouldn't lie to you, honey. They're hideous." Nova wears her trademark tough love expression.
Sophia sighs. “Josh’s mother suggested them and when I say ‘suggested’, I mean ‘demanded’."
“Attack of the future mother-in-law?” Nova swallows a gulp of wine.
“The woman is driving me crazy with all her unsolicited opinions.” Sophia looks like she's in agony. “I don't know how I'm going to tell her that you girls hate those dresses.”
“Oh hun, that really sucks.” I squeeze her shoulder. ”What’s Josh was saying about all of this?”
She grunts. “Joshua is so not involved in any of this. Except for insisting that we get married in Vegas instead of having a nice church wedding here in Copper Heights like normal people. Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm getting married to myself. All of the planning, all of the decision-making falls on me. Meanwhile, he just sits around on his phone, tinkering about with his little luxury nail clipper startup.” How she keeps a straight face talking about Josh’s entrepreneurial endeavors is a mystery to me. “I know that owning his own business is a dream of his, but getting married is our dream so we should be doing this together.” Sophia’s usual put-together persona has slipped out of place. She’s frustrated and letting it show. Seeing her like this is disorienting.
Nova asks the question I wish she wouldn’t. "Are you sure you want to marry this guy, Soph?”
Her posture goes defensive. "Of course I want to marry him. I love him." Now she's even more upset." I just wish he’d stop being such a guy about this.” She pulls on the ends of her hair.
"As long as you're sure..." Nova looks unconvinced as she picks up her pencil again and strokes the tip across the course paper of her sketchpad.
Right then, there’s a knock at the back door. Leo’s face appears in the glass. My heart immediately begins to drum an excited rhythm. I leap out of my chair and slide the door open just a little, angling my body in the hopes of getting a little privacy. Still, I feel my friends’ eyes on us.
“Hey…” I say in a low voice as my eyes coast over his handsome features. I’m still not over how hot he is.
“Hey…” He wraps his arms around my waist and lets his palms slide over my ass as he buries his face in my neck.
I take a step back and clear my throat. That’s when his eyes move past my shoulder and he notices my friends. He straightens up and grins. “Oh, hi ladies.”
Those two bitches don’t even try to hide their surprise. “Hi Leo,” they singsong in unison.
His eyes move back to me. “Sorry, I didn’t realize that you had company,” he tells me.
“Cupcake Sunday…”
He lightly taps his forehead as if he’s suddenly remembering. “Cupcake Sunday. Right.” He smiles and I feel a little breathless. “Brent just inexplicably decided to take an afternoon nap so I just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to hang out. But you’re busy.”
“Yeah, I—“
“Don’t worry about it. Go back to your girlfriends. I’ll catch you later.”
He starts backing away and I stop him. "Wait."
Pausing his movements, he watches as I grab a cupcake from the counter and hand it to him. "Happy Cupcake Sunday," I whisper.
He takes my hand and brings it to his lips. With his eyes locked on mine, he sucks espresso frosting off of my knuckles. "Delicious," he hums in a low, gravelly voice that vibrates between my legs. "Happy Cupcake Sunday."
Oh, my heart.
He puts a chaste kiss on my cheek and leans over my shoulder. "Have a good evening, ladies." He backs away from the door.
When I turn back to my friends, they’re wearing identical smirks.
Nova sidles up to me with her arms folded across her chest. “Well, well, well—looks like the neighborhood just got a little friendlier, huh?” She cocks a brow like she just sniffed out some major conspiracy.
“Don’t start,” I say as I grab my wine glass and fill it to the top.
Sophia shakes her head, clearly disappointed in me. “So you just weren’t gonna tell us that you’re seeing the hot guy next door.”
“I’m not exactly seeing him. In the traditional sense.” My cheeks warm up as I slide back into my chair.
“What exactly are you up to, Reese?” Sophia questions with a lifted brow.
Nova’s grin spreads wide across her face. "Looks like our little Reesie has got herself a fuck friend."
I cringe. "I prefer the term 'lover' please. Much less derogatory."
My friends share a look.
"As you wish, classy bitch." Nova crosses one leg over the other and reaches for another cupcake. "That doesn't exempt you from giving us details, though."
"Yeah, why didn't you tell us about this?" Betrayal covers Sophia’s face.
I shrug, feeling a tiny bit of guilt. "I wanted to be discreet. That's how these things work. Isn't it?"
"How long have you been hoarding this information?" Sophia presses.
My shoulders hunch up. "Two weeks."
Nova leans forward. “Well, I don’t want you keeping all that stuff pent up. It’s no good for your cardiovascular health,” she says generously. “Spill them beans!”
Laughing, I tell them everything. Starting at the hug in the garden to the kiss on the back porch to the nightly rendez-vous that have me creeping out my neighbor's back door at 3:00 every morning.
"Oh my god. I have a lover." I giggle into my hand. "Does that make me slutty?"
"Yes!" Sophia barks just as Nova yells, "No!"
"Exploring your sexuality without the burden of commitment makes you interesting, adventurous, worldly." That's Nova’s take on the matter.
Sophia rolls her eyes. "It's all fun and games until you end up on one of those early morning talk shows where nobody knows the father of their kid."
Nova waves her off. "Those shows are scripted. Grandma and I sat in the studio audience that time we visited New York. I was so disappointed." Her attention comes to me. "Having a lover is the most liberating thing you can do for yourself," she tells me. "There's only one rule...Don't fall in love."
Simple.
One simple rule.
Except, as I bring my wine glass to my lips, I'm gut-clenchingly aware that not falling in love with a man like Leo won't be simple at all.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Leo
Reese gives me an apologetic look as she holds the door open for me. "I tried to get him to eat," she tells me, "but he insisted on waiting for you tonight."
"That's okay." I kick off my dirty work boots on the front mat and follow her toward the kitchen. My eyes skitter down her tempting body as she goes and the memory of that curvy ass riding my chin last night floods my mind. I try to resist but I can’t help copping a feel as she moves down the hall.
She glances at me over her shoulder. “Stop it!” she hisses with a wicked grin.
I grin back as I pull my hand away from her butt. “Sorry,” I say in the most insincere tone ever.
We do need to be careful. Brenton doesn’t know about us and I don’t want him getting the wrong idea. I need to keep my hands off of Reese in my son’s presence.
His eyes light up when he sees me. "Hi Daddy!"
"Hey buddy. How come you didn't eat dinner?" I'm tempted to ruffle his hair as I sink into the chair next to him but Reese has it all brushed down like a 1950s choirboy again. So instead, I squeeze his little shoulder.
"We're having chicken nuggets tonight," he informs me, "and I know it's your favorite so I wanted to wait for you."
"Well, that was really thoughtful of you," I say to him.
For the record, chicken nuggets are not my favorite—I’m a grown-ass man—but they’re one of the only meals I can prepare without it looking like an industrial by-product.
The little boy grins proudly. "Now, go wash your hands so we can all eat, daddy."
I shake my head at his scolding tone as I rise from the table and move toward the sink. With her lips pursed against a smile, Reese stands at the kitchen counter, portioning the French fries, chicken nuggets and vegetables into separate plates. I wash and dry my hands, then return to my seat next to Brent. Reese sets the food down in front of us.
As he eats—with a knife and fork! Who eats chicken nuggets with a knife and fork?!—the child tells me all about how he helped Reese make the nuggets from scratch.
I'm amazed. Who is this bright, composed, well-behaved young man sitting next to me? I was sceptical about letting Reese watch Brenton after school. I didn't think she'd be able to handle him. I thought he'd overwhelm her. But I was so wrong. I'm astonished at the positive effect she's had on him in such a short period of time. The fact that he has a major crush on her seems to be at play.
And I can't blame him because damn, I have a crush on her, too.
Theresa Hartley is perfection. Beautiful, smart, kind. And her goodness is rubbing off on my little rogue.
My brain keeps harassing me. This girl isn't just a cheap fuck. She's not the kind of woman you just use for her body. She's the type you step up for. She's the type you risk a friendship for. She's the type you claim. But I'm not ready. I don't know if I ever will be. Mara burned me so badly and now, I just need to focus on raising Brent. I can’t get into a relationship. Not even with a woman like Reese.
After dinner, Brenton helps bring the dishes to the sink and then runs off to finish watching a whale documentary that he and Reese started after school.
It takes a ton of convincing but I finally get Reese to allow me to wash the dishes. "I don't want to sound trite but those were some damn good chicken nuggets," I tell her as I rinse off a plate. "You really made those from scratch?"
"Yup," she nods as she takes the clean plate I just put in the dish drainer. She runs a dry cloth across the surface, soaking up the water before packing it away into the cupboard.
My eyes peruse her pretty face. "Where'd you learn to cook and bake and all that stuff?"
She laughs and wipes off the wet ba
king sheet I hand her. "When we were younger, our parents were always busy campaigning and being political and all that other stuff. So, we spent a ton of time with our grandmother. She badgered my mom into firing our nanny so she could cook and clean and take care of us.” Her face lights with amusement at the memory. “Anyway, Viv and Charlie were always too cool to play with me so I hung out in the kitchen with grandma all the time."
"Why didn't your siblings want to hang out with you?" I rinse the soapsuds from the sink and close the faucet.
A melancholy smile touches her lips and she shrugs. “Y'know how kids are...Actually, my siblings still boss me around like a kid.”
That pisses me off. I hate that they treat her like a child. The wide flare of her hips, the soft curve of her breasts, the shape of her thighs—it’s testimony to the fact that she’s all woman.
"You know you're allowed to stand up to them, right?" I grab the towel from her and wipe my hands.
She grabs it right back. "It’s part of the natural pecking order, I guess. I’m the youngest in the family so it’s only natural that I have to bare the brunt of my siblings bullying."
I can tell that it hurts her, even though she's trying to make light of it. "Reese, you don't have to let people boss you around. You don't have to bend over backward to accommodate everyone. It's okay to put yourself first sometimes."
She's such a good person. She goes out of her way to make sure that everyone around her is taken care of but she doesn't do the same for herself. She should have the best of everything.
I brace her by the shoulders and lower my face to look into her eyes. "You're beautiful. You're sexy. You’re an amazing cook. You're a rockstar in bed." A blush crawls over her cheeks and she can't hold eye contact. I tilt her chin to bring her focus back to me. "How come some guy hasn’t swooped in and put you in an ivory tower?"
She laughs, taking a half-step backward. “I have a hard enough time just getting a decent guy to take me to the movies. I don't see any ivory towers on the horizon for me."
The Blue Collar Bachelors Box Set: The Complete Blue Collar Bachelors Series Page 13